Faults:

I had the starter motor and battery replaced within 4 weeks. Also the driver's side window was vibrating, I hope all these problems have been resolved now.

General Comments:

This is a wonderful car to drive, it is very comfortable and I love being inside this car. It is a shame I have had problems with it, but I hope these have been rectified. I like this car enough to put the problems behind me and I would advise anyone to try this car before buying another make.

Faults:

Car failed to start on occasions, normally under wet conditions.

Car does not idle smoothly and is jerky at low speeds.

Radio is difficult to tune and constantly loses its signal.

Strange rattle from the engine bay when decelerating.

General Comments:

Apart from the listed problems, the car performs extremely well for a 1400. The car is smooth to drive and the engine is quiet. Torque at low revs is good and you only know you are driving a 1400 when you hit a hill or carry passengers. At higher revs the power really kicks in and you feel a sudden ‘boost’ at 4000 revs. The engine keeps pulling up to the red-line and sounds sweet all the way.

The gearshift is smooth and positive, and the gear ratios are perfect. Steering is light but has good feedback. Handling is fair but with a little too much body roll for my liking. The soft suspension does offer an excellent ride. Under fast cornering the handling seems to improve, but it's still a far cry from the handling of my Jetta.

The radio has a poor tuner, but the overall sound quality is excellent. The head unit offers good low frequency response although the speakers are perhaps not perfectly matched.

Faults:

Vibrating exhaust is the only thing that has gone wrong with it.

General Comments:

I am exceedingly happy with this car, it is many times better than the Escort I had. It is fuel efficient, it has a fast top speed though it gets a little noisy over 85, and is very quick to 60 for a 1.6, faster than a lot of 1.8s and 2.0 litres.

It has a lot of room in the front and rear, and handles like an executive car.

Only problem so far is a noisy exhaust which was replaced immediately by a Rover dealer, without any fuss.